Dominica Optimistic With Negotiations Over Construction of Geothermal Power Plant

ROSEAU, Dominica – The Dominica government Monday expressed optimism that negotiations for the construction of a power plant could begin early next month as it reported “excellent results so far” from drilling exercises in the Roseau Valley on the outskirts of the capital.

“We are hoping that by April we would have concluded all the drilling and we would then move quickly into the construction of a power plant. Negotiations with a developer on the construction of the power plant will begin by the third of February …they will be on island we will start discussions and we hoping that we can at least advance to be ready by the time drilling is completed and of course the design and tender for the transmission lines are done.”

Planning, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, Sustainable Development, and Renewable Energy Minister Dr. Vance Henderson told a news conference efforts are underway to transmit the energy being generated in the Valley to other locations, describing it as a “significant investment” for which funds have already been secured from the World Bank.

“We are currently carrying out our environment and social impact assessment study and the designs have been completed. We are hoping to go to market in the next three months to tender for a developer/ contractor for the construction of those lines.

“The other aspect of our transmission system is from Fond Cole to Sugar Loaf, but that is still being discussed since we have recently completed surface studies in the north to prove the presence of geothermal potential there.”

Henderson told reporters the debate as to whether to construct a plant in the north of the island “is ongoing…which by the way is going to be about US$70 to US$80 million if we are to do it to build the resilience that we are seeking to achieve as part of our climate resilience strategy”.

Earlier, Henderson told reporters that at least one production well “that is where the steam comes up and will be used to power turbine to provide electricity” had been completed.

“The first well excellent results so far. We have the temperature, pressure, permeability and all the things that we are looking for, excellent. It seems to be like one of the wells we have already…so that hopefully that will give us another 10 megawatts of power,” he said, noting that Dominica consumes 15 megawatts of electricity here.

“Our peak demand is 15. We already have a 10 megawatts well and another two and in December last year, we drilled another well with possibly the potential of giving us another 10 megawatts,” he said, adding that “we have in the Roseau Valley now, the ability to generate more power than we need in Dominica”.

Henderson said that a re-injection well is now being drilled to be used “ to put all the stuff that comes out back into the systems so we do not send anything out into the environment.

He said the three million US dollar contract for that well has already gone out and that the work should be completed by the end of February with drilling to commence by March.

He said that investment, the drilling part is about US$16 million” and it is being funded by a grant from the United Kingdom, a local organisation and the World Bank.

“|The next stage is to actually construct the plant (and) we are looking at a power plant that will cost about US$60 to US$70 million (and) the good thing about that investment is that once you have done this that’s it, you have power.

“So that’s an investment that can go on for another 50 years without having to make any additional investment except for routine maintenance,” he said, adding that the authorities are also embarking upon new transmission lines from the Roseau Valley “to carry all the geothermal power and the hydro power to Fond Cole, a 10 kilometer run”.